Alan Maciag, a 20-year veteran of the Wayne Police Department and its chief since 2014, is to become the next police chief in the city of Northville.

His appointment was formally announced during Monday's Northville City Council meeting and Maciag introduced himself to council members. He'll wrap up his career in Wayne on Friday and assume the Northville job on Wednesday, Dec. 26.

"This is an honor for me and a privilege," Maciag told council members. He called Northville a "great community" and said its police department has an excellent reputation.

Macaig will succeed former Chief Michael Carlson, who retired at the end of July after more than 20 years with the department. Northville Capt. Dustin Krueger, who has been the acting chief since Carlson's departure, will step back into his previous role, which includes administrative, training and patrol duties.

Maciag, who lives in Grass Lake, began his police career in Wayne in April 1998. He has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Western Michigan University, a master's degree in criminology from Eastern Michigan University and attended both the FBI National Academy and the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, training programs for top-level law enforcement personnel.

"He's got a lot of really good experience, great background. Really into community policing," City Manager Patrick Sullivan said. "It seems like he'll be a really good chief and a really good fit for the community."

Maciag will be paid $95,000 a year.

Sullivan chose Maciag from what he said was a good field of candidates, five of whom were assessed by Empco, a company that specializes in testing applicants for public sector jobs, particularly in public safety. Maciag was the high scorer in an Empco assessment, Sullivan said.

"It's nice when you have a lot of applicants. It speaks well of the city," Mayor Ken Roth said.

Though Wayne, with a population of about 17,000, is about three times Northville's size, Macaig said both cities have a small-town feel and that leaving Wayne will be bittersweet for him.

But leading the department in Northville "was a job I couldn't pass up," he added.

Policing, Maciag said, "is the best job in the world."

What keeps him motivated?

"Getting out there, working with the community, solving problems," he said. "It has its challenges, certainly, but I still love it."

The Wayne City Council was expected Tuesday evening to name Lt. Ryan Strong the interim chief while the city searches for a permanent replacement for Maciag.

Contact Matt Jachman at mjachman@hometownlife.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mattjachman.